I am not the Wan, says EC deputy chairman

(The Star) – Election Commission deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar has yet again been dragged into something that he had no part in, no thanks to his very common name.

In the latest case of mistaken identity, the second for Wan Ahmad in recent months, he was accused of allegedly ordering the issuance of ICs to 16,000 immigrants about two decades ago.

Wan Ahmad said the person involved whose name was also Datuk Wan Ahmad, served in the commission but was based in Sabah.

He has long retired.

“I just want to clarify that the Wan Ahmad mentioned during the RCI (Royal Commission of Inquiry into illegal immigrants) is certainly not me.

“I have never served in Sabah and I joined the EC only in 1998, long after the issue cropped up,” he said.

Wan Ahmad was commenting on a claim made by former Sabah NRD deputy director Mohd Nasir Sungit that Datuk Wan Ahmad had allegedly ordered Indonesian and Filipino immigrants to be registered as voters.

Mohd Nasir made the claim during the RCI hearing in Sabah yesterday.

Mohd Nasir, who was serving in the state from the 1960 to 1995, had also been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly issuing identity cards to unqualified immigrants.

Wan Ahmad said that in 1994, he was working as an officer at the Prime Minister’s Department.

Wan Ahmad said this was not the first time he was implicated in issues due to mistaken identity, as he had a very common name.

“Some time ago, the Opposition went to town claiming that I was a Kelantan Umno member, but I had the last laugh when it turned out that the Umno member is another person who happened to share the same name.

“Now I want to make a pre-emptive strike to shut those who may try to create funny news out of the latest development, because I still want to have the last laugh,” he chuckled.